This invention relates to a retainer for horizontally suspended flexible material, and more particularly to a retainer for automobile headliner.
It is conventional in the automobile industry to construct the ceiling of a car cab from a flexible material which covers completely the interior metal roof of a vehicle. The headliner is usually preformed by molding from different materials. A multilayered headliner has a fiber backing which forms the innermost layer that faces the metal roof of the car. A fabric material in a color complimentary to the interior of the car forms the outermost layer of the headliner. A bonding agent, for example a foam adhesive, is deposited between the fabric and the fiber backing in order to retain the fabric material in a substantially parallel relationship to the fiber backing and form a smooth interior ceiling of the car.
In time, the foam adhesive tends to deteriorate which results in disengagement of the fabric layer from the fiber backing. The ceiling of the car loses its aesthetic appearance as the fabric layer sags down from the ceiling. As a general rule, professional repair services are required to correct the defect, the repair services being sometimes prohibitively expensive.
To solve the problem, the present invention contemplates provision of a mechanical means for retaining a horizontally suspended fabric layer of a headliner, or other horizontally suspended flexible material in a taught position in relation to the inner layer backing.